Mechanism for feeding metal blanks



Feb. 2 1926.

C. T. BRENNAN MECHANISM FOR FEEDING METAL BLANKS Filed Dec. 19, 1924 manual-eh. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. BRENNAN, 0F WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE E. J. MAN- VILLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF WATERBUBY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 01' CONNECTICUT.

MECHANISM r03 FEEDING EETAL nuns.

Application filed D ficember 19, 1924. Serial 1%. 750,903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. BRENNAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanism "for Feeding Metal Blanks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the feed mechanisms which are provided for metal heading, re-heading, trimmin thread rolling, knurling, slotting and ot er machines in which metal blanks are automatically fed from a promiscuous mass in a hopper to a track down which the blanks travel by gravity to means which transfer them one at a time .to the operating tools. Frequently these machines are called upon to act upon blanks which have cross sectional shapes that are )ther than circular. For example, the shanks of the blanks may be square, oblong, oval, or fiatted on one or more sides, and then it is necessary to feed these blanks in such a relation to the transfer mechanism that they will be resented correctly to the operatin tools. or instance, an oblong or flatte blank must be carried between the punch and die of a heading or re-heading machine in such position that it will conform to the openings therein, otherwise not only will the stock be destroyed, but the tools be damaged when they are brought into action for shapin the stock.

he object of the present invention is to rovide simple means applicable to the usual eeds for such machines which will enable blanks having irregular cross sections to be automaticall fed from a hopper down a track and al be correctly presented to the operating tools.

This object is attained in the embodiment of the invention illustrated by providing a track having a way that at the upper or hopper end is as wide as the largest diameter of the blanks to be fed thereto and that at the lower or delivery end is only as wide as the smallest diameter of the blanks, and arranging at the locality where the track path converges from the widest space to the narrowest space, a whirl'with its periphery extending into the way in such manner that it will en age the blanks and turn them so that they will enter the narrow path and not jam width.

and choke the track where it is reduced in In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of a blank feed that embodies the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the track and the blank positioning whirl. Fig. 3 1s a section on the plane indicated by thedotted'hne 3-3 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a side View of a blank from which an automatlc t re valve-stem is to be formed and WlllCh is to be reheaded, this blank being chosen to illustrate the action and utility of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a section of the valve blank on the plane 55 on Flg. 4. Flg. 6 illustrates the manner in which such valve blanks, while being fed,

are automatically straightened, according to this invention.

In the views the track plates 1 are shown as fastened by bracket 2 to the front wall of a blank holding hopper 3 which hopper ma 1 be of any common type. The lower on s of the track plates may be supported by a suitable bracket 4. The top edges of the plates are inclined at the necessary angle to permit the blanks hanging by theirheads with their stems depending into the path between the plates to slide by gravity from the upper end to the' delivery end. The track lates are so formed and spaced apart that t e opening 5 between their upper" sectlons will be as wide as the lar est diameter of the stems of the blanks to e fed, while the openin 6 between the lower sections of the track p ates is narrowed so as to be only as wide as the smallest diameter of the stems of the blanks, the path between the plates converging at'the localit 7 from the greater width to the lesser width. In the construction illustrated this is accomplished by having the inner face of one track plate in a slngle plane and having the inner face of the other late extending in two planes and this may e attained by making one plate of uniform thickness and the other of two dliferent thicknesses.

Supported by a bracket 8 attached to one track plate ad acent to thelocality of cona mam space but not intothe narrowerspace between the plates. In the form shown the bracket has an arm 12 carrying pulleys 13. A driving belt may-be led from any suitable rotatin member of the machine to which the f is applied around the ulleys for the urpose of rotating the whee 10.

ameter during their downward travel reach the converging section of the path between the track plates if they are not in such position as to pass into the narrower section of the path the are engaged by the whirl and turned so t at they Wlll enter the narrower section of the path, as illustrated in Fig. 6. When-the blanks are turned in the manner suggested the will all be delivered from the lower end the track in the same relation so that they can be transferred correctly to the punch and die or other tools by which they are to be acted upon. If, such blanks as mentioned for example are 'to be re-headed and they were not delivered from the track all in the same way they would not be transferred to between the punch and die in the necessary relation to enter the die, consequently the .would be jammed out of shape and the too be broken when the punch came up. By the employment of the means herein described the correct feed of the blanks is ensured.

The invention claimed is:

A mechanism for feeding headed metal blanks that have irregular shaped stems,

comprising inclined track plates spaced apart to support the blanks by their heads with the stems extending down between the plates, the upper section of the ath between the plates being wider than t e lower section of the path, and a whirl with its periphery extending into the path adjacent to the point of convergence from the wider to the narrower section, said whirl being adapted to engage and turn the stems of those blanks which arrive at this locality in such positions that they will not enter the narrower section of the path, so that they will enter the narrower section.

CHARLES T. BRENNAN. 

